Only In Time
by vulnera-sapientia
Summary: Sequel to Unexpected Turn of Events. Bonnie and Damon have a new goal: find and recreate the cure for vampirism, then they can have everything they ever wanted. But they find themselves in the way of something else in need of the cure, and one of them is lost, leaving the other heartbroken. It's up to the whole group to help find the cure and save one of their own.
1. Prologue

**For those of you who followed my first story, Unexpected Turn of Events, this is the sequel that I decided to start. I'm so excited!**

**I just want to explain a couple of things before I start. First of all, for those who have read the Vampire Diaries books, you'll know there's more than just vampires, werewolves and witches. I've decided to just pretty much to follow the books in terms of the other characters they had in the stories, though maybe a little bit different.**

**Secondly, I know the first story I wrote was a kind of romance, but this one isn't. There will probably be a few romance scenes, but this story is about a particular struggle that Bamon go through.**

**I really hope you like it! xx**

* * *

She was being dragged under. It was pulling her in.

It didn't matter how much she struggled against it, it would only pull harder. And even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to stop it. But he didn't want to help her; he didn't care what became of the witch.

Or did he? He felt something strange within him, an inkling of desire to save this person he no longer knew.

She was now half enveloped, her lower half disappearing in the shadows.

"Damon, help me! Please!" Bonnie screamed, but he knew he could do nothing. He could only watch as his true love was swallowed by the darkness.


	2. Chapter 1

**Alrighty, here we go. The first couple of chapters will be introductory, a little catch up from the previous story. **

**This story is set after season 4, the Originals are in NOLA and everybody has been in college for about a year now, except for Damon who visits. This is my own interpretation of what happened when they all left school. Enjoy! :) xx**

* * *

Bonnie woke up, drenched in sweat.

_Not again._

Only a second earlier she'd been dreaming the same dream she'd had every night for the past two weeks. She was running away from something that was after her; something dark and evil. It would finally catch up with her and drag her towards it, and only when she was fully submerged in the darkness would she awake. For some reason she felt a familiar presence throughout the whole thing. She never saw a face, but she could tell there was someone there, watching the scene unfold as she was swallowed by the shadows.

She couldn't take it anymore. Every night she'd lie down and try to fall asleep, and then as soon as her tiredness overcame her, she'd be thrown into the blackness that was her subconscious mind. Usually when dreams or visions like this were reoccurring, it meant something to her. But she had no idea what this dream was trying to tell her, and there was no indication she'd be getting answers anytime soon. There was no variation in the dream; it remained the same every night, with Bonnie ending up waking up in a cold sweat as she disappeared into the darkness.

Damon stirred next to her and opened one eye. "Same dream?" He whispered as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Bonnie smiled warmly as she looked down at her boyfriend. With his raven black hair swept across his forehead and his crystal blue eyes that shined in the moonlight, he was a sight to behold. His good looks sometimes took her breath away, something he found immensely amusing.

After everything they had been through, together and individually, they'd soon discovered they had more in common than they realised. With this realisation came a fragile camaraderie which eventually blossomed into a beautiful, fulfilling relationship. Bonnie couldn't ever thank Damon enough for helping her get through everything she endured this past year. When a powerful witch came after Bonnie wanting her magic, Bonnie had reluctantly gone to Damon for help, knowing he would be the only person to help her without wanting to shelter her. However, she didn't know just how much he would come to be her saving grace. As their friendship had strengthened throughout the ordeal, so had her feelings for Damon, and he her. Only after stern words from outside sources were they truly able to set aside their own insecurities and be together. In the year they had spent as a couple, Bonnie had never felt so happy.

Until the dreams started up and Bonnie began to dread going to sleep every night. She really needed to figure out their significance. The only thing that was any sort of clue to what the dream meant was the night they started – exactly two weeks ago, when Bonnie and Damon celebrated their first year together. Other than the weird timing, the nightmare was giving nothing away.

"Yeah," she whispered back as she placed her own hand on top of his. "Exactly the same like every other night."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Want me to help?" Bonnie knew he was offering to give her a dream in her head that he controlled, and although the idea was tempting, she shook her head.

"It has to mean something," she said quietly. "Until I figure out what it is, it's best not to try and force some sort of change."

He reluctantly nodded. "Okay. Come here," he whispered as he pulled her towards him so her head was resting on his chest. "Try and get some sleep. I love you." He began to massage her temple and she closed her eyes, allowing his hands to soothe her.

"I love you," she whispered as she drifted off to sleep. With any luck, she wouldn't be bothered again tonight.

* * *

The next morning, while Bonnie was in the shower, Damon rang his brother from her room to confirm their plans for the day.

"Hey, what's up?" Stefan asked after a couple of rings, his voice ever so serious. Damon smirked.

"Don't worry brother, there's no trouble afoot. I'm just calling to make sure you didn't forget about our day."

"Of course not, this is important," Stefan replied quietly.

_Elena must be near, _Damon thought to himself.

Ever since Damon and Bonnie had decided to seek out the cure for vampirism, things had been a little tense between Stefan and Elena. They were still as inseparable as they were six months ago at their engagement party, but when Damon had confided in Stefan about what he and Bonnie planned on doing, Stefan had immediately joined their crusade.

However he hadn't told Elena. She could read Stefan like a book and knew there was something he was keeping from her, and Damon knew Stefan would never do anything to hurt Elena, but he didn't think it was the best thing for her to be out of the loop. He understood why Stefan hadn't told her: if there was another chance for him to be human, he would do it in a heartbeat… but he didn't want to get Elena's hopes up. Still, the harder someone tried to keep a secret from Elena, the harder she tried to find out what it was.

Damon smiled to himself as his brother spoke nonsense while Elena was in earshot. It wouldn't be long before Stefan caved and told her, it was just a matter of when. He was so love struck. After all, Damon used to be just like him around Elena. He thought he was madly in love with her, and though he once had deep feelings for his brother's fiancée, his love for her didn't compare to the love he felt now for Bonnie.

Bonnie. The woman he planned on giving up his immortality for so they could have a family together, grow old together. He was never a man for commitment, but he could see himself married with a couple of kids somewhere in the suburbs with her. Whatever Bonnie wanted, he'd happily give her. So he would do anything to get his hands on that cure.

"So when are you coming over?" Stefan asked and Damon focused back on his brother's voice.

"Hmm? Oh, right. I'm just going to say bye to Bonnie and then I'll be over." They said goodbye as Bonnie got out of the shower. Damon walked over to her and gave her a long kiss.

When he pulled away she smiled. "What was that for?"

Damon smiled back. "Because I love you. And I'm leaving to spend the day with Stefan while you and the other ladies are in class."

Bonnie walked over to her wardrobe. "Has he told Elena yet?" Damon snorted.

"Not yet, but it's just a matter of time. Within the next few days, I'd guess." Bonnie turned around and pointed at him. "Give him some credit. He's done well to keep it a secret for this long; you know how hard it is to keep something like this from her."

Damon shrugged. "If he'd just told her then it wouldn't be a problem." Bonnie laughed. "You know why he didn't tell her, now stop being so hard on him. Get out of here, and tell Stefan I said hi."

Damon walked over to her as she was grabbing her clothes and kissed her on her neck. "I'll see you later. I love you."

"I know. I love you too. Now go," she added with a grin. He grinned back and left the apartment she shared with Caroline.

* * *

As he got into his Camaro, he couldn't help but wonder if this whole mission was a waste of time. He wanted nothing more than to find the cure, as did his brother, but was it even possible to find a way to recreate the cure? They had no information to go on. In the past six months, the search for the cure had taken a back seat while Bonnie focused on her studies, although Damon had done a little research. He'd found a whole bunch of nothing. But now that the semester was over after today, they would be using the summer to find new information… if there was anything to be found, that is.

There was no point on dwelling, thinking about what could go wrong or if this whole thing was even a real possibility. There was some way to get the cure again, and they would find it.

He knew it.

* * *

**Please tell me what you think, let me know if there's something you want in the story or someone you want me to pop into the story. Read and review away :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**I sincerely apologise for not updating, but I've had some serious writer's block lately. This fic might be a little slow coming, so i apoloagise in advance for not writing much.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

* * *

"Anything new?" Stefan asked when Damon opened the door.

His older brother looked casual as always, but he had a bounce in his step as he came into the apartment. Stefan could tell his relationship with Bonnie had done wonders for him. He now walked as if he were on cloud nine, something Stefan was familiar with. Ever since he and Elena had gotten back together, he felt like the happiest man alive. He was glad he could now share his happiness with his brother without any tension.

Damon shook his head. "Not since the last time you asked me. Oh, and Bonnie said hi."

Stefan smiled warmly. He'd always had a soft spot for the witch, and now that she was with Damon they were becoming even closer. He was happy that he could be close with his brother's love, just as Damon was with Elena.

"Have you found anything new?" Damon asked.

He returned his attention to his brother and sighed. "No. The possibility of replicating this cure is becoming slimmer by the day." He looked at Damon. He had a determined look on his face.

"We have to keep trying. Isn't this what you've always wanted, to be with Elena the right way? We can't give up on this. Not yet. Not until we've exhausted every option."

Stefan shook his head. "I never said we should give up, just that chances are slim. But we've worked with less. It might take a little time, but we will find it Damon."

Stefan was sure of it, just as he knew his brother was. There was nothing either of them wanted more than to be with the woman they loved. There was no way out of it; they would find the cure if it killed them.

Damon's voice distracted Stefan from his thoughts. "We need to start afresh, look at this whole thing with clear eyes. That means bringing everyone in. And I mean _everyone_, Stefan."

"I don't want to let Elena in on this yet. What if we just get her hopes up? She'll be heartbroken."

"No she won't. She already knows you're keeping something from her; you might as well just let her know what's going on. You know she'd want this almost as much as you. We need to get Blondie and probably the quarterback in on it too, but no one else; the less people who know the better. If we find this and then other vampires get word of it, it'll be chaos around here. Someone could get hurt."

"Agreed," Stefan replied, and then paused for a moment. "I'll tell her tonight over dinner. I just hope she's still speaking to me tomorrow. She won't believe that I kept something this huge from her."

Damon smirked. "Please, she'll be fine. She'll be more than happy to get in on our search party."

Stefan wasn't so sure. They never kept secrets from each other. The last time he lied to her was during the Bonnie incident. He hated it. But Damon was right; Elena would understand, it was just who she was. And he was excited to share with her his news, that they could possibly have a family, grow old, together. He only hoped this mission wouldn't be in vain.

"We'll see," he muttered.

* * *

Bonnie could barely keep her eyes open in class. Her head was throbbing and she wanted to go home and sleep, but it was the last day of the semester so she remained until the two hour lecture was over. She planned on going home straight after, but as she was exiting the room, she got a text from Elena.

_Lunch? x._

Bonnie smiled. She loved the girl, but no doubt this was some ploy of hers to find out what Stefan was hiding from her. She decided to play into it and replied that she would meet her at their usual spot. When she arrived, a little café on the edge of campus, she found Caroline waiting.

"Oh, hey Care," Bonnie said as a greeting. "I thought you had the day off?"

Caroline smiled. "I do, but Elena wanted to catch up for lunch. Did she text you to come as well?"

Bonnie sighed. "Yeah, I'm assuming she's trying to find out what Stefan is supposedly hiding from her."

Caroline snorted. "Oh, he's definitely hiding something. You know that crease in his forehead he gets when he feels guilty? It's taken up permanent residence on his face. There's something he's not telling her."

Bonnie nodded in understanding, but she felt guilty as well. She trusted these girls with her life, but she knew that she had to keep this a secret for a little while longer; just until they had enough evidence to make this whole thing a possibility.

As she went to take a seat across from Caroline, Elena entered the café. She saw them and waved, then made her way over to the table. Sitting down, she took off her bag and smiled.

"Hey," she said. "How are you guys doing?"

Caroline laughed. "Come on Elena, we know why you wanted to meet up. You want to know if we know anything about Stefan."

Elena hesitated. "What? Why would you say that? Maybe I missed both of you."

This time Bonnie laughed. "You only just saw us yesterday. We were in the library together, and then we went to dinner, remember? We haven't found anything new about what Stefan is hiding, I'm sorry."

Elena leaned back and furrowed her eyebrows. "I feel so… clingy. Don't get me wrong, I love Stefan and I trust him wholeheartedly, I just want to know why he's keeping something from me. Obviously it's serious; otherwise he wouldn't feel so guilty about it."

Bonnie opened her mouth to ask how she knew he was guilty and she pointed to her forehead. "He gets this little crease in his forehead when he's feeling guilty about something."

Bonnie glanced over at Caroline and she had a look on her face that said _I told you so._

Elena spoke again. "I'm going to confront him tonight. I've been subtle so far and he hasn't said a word, so I might as well just ask him outright what he's keeping from me."

Caroline spoke up. "Good idea. That way he can't ignore it. I mean, up until now he's feigned missing the hints, but maybe if you tell him you know he's keeping something from you, he'll feel too guilty to lie to your face."

Bonnie zoned out after that. She contemplated what would happen once Elena found out. She probably wouldn't be mad that they'd kept this from her, but she'd likely want everyone else in on the plan. Well, Matt and Caroline. The semester was over, everyone was on holiday. Maybe it would be a good thing to have the whole group in on the plan now. Plus, because there was a chance the cure was still in Elena's bloodstream, they needed her more than ever to help.

She would need to discuss telling everyone what was going on with Damon tonight, but for now she would continue to keep it to herself.

* * *

When Elena got home, she found Stefan in the kitchen, preparing dinner. She walked over to him and gave him a long kiss, then went to take a shower. When she returned to the dining room, dinner was waiting.

Stefan looked nervous. "Elena… I need to tell you something."

Elena's eyes widened. She didn't need to confront him, he was going to tell her himself. Maybe the guilt got to him. She took a seat next to him and put her hand over his. He smiled.

"Is this about why you've been feeling guilty?" she asked. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"How did you know I was-" he started, but Elena interrupted him. "You get this crease in your forehead. Please, continue."

He cleared his throat. "Well, the reason I've been feeling guilty is because I've been doing a little research with Damon behind your back."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Research?"

"Uh, yeah. It turns out Bonnie and Damon are going to try and recreate the cure for vampirism, and I asked if I could help them. Damon and I have been trying to find anything useful that could help us. That's what I've been keeping from you."

Elena was stunned. Recreate the cure?

"You want to become human again?" she asked quietly.

Stefan took her hand and squeezed it. "I want to give you a family… I want to grow old with you. I love you. I want to be with you the right way."

Elena could feel tears brimming, but she held herself together.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Bonnie tell me?"

"We didn't want to get your hopes up," Stefan replied. "If we found something and it led to a way to get the cure, we were going to tell the whole group. But I felt so guilty I couldn't wait until we found something. Please don't be mad at Bonnie, she was trying not to hurt you. We want nothing more than to find this, but we need to make sure this is actually a possibility first."

Elena sighed. "I'm not mad. I understand why you didn't say anything. But I want to be included in this. If there's anything I can do, please, just tell me. Okay?"

Stefan smiled warmly. "Okay, I promise. I love you."

Elena reached over and kissed him. "I love you too. But are you sure you want this, to become human?"

Stefan looked into her eyes. "I want it. If it means being with you then I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I get it. Damon and I are determined to find it."

* * *

The next day, Damon messaged Stefan, Elena and Matt to come over to the apartment. He made sure Stefan had actually stayed true to his word first, just in case it got awkward. Since everyone was finished studying, he figured they might as well get started right away. Once everyone showed up and was seated, he got down to business.

"Okay," he started. "Some of you know what this is about, but for those who don't, I'm going to explain."

Bonnie chose that moment to go and stand next to him, and she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Bonnie and I decided to find a way to recreate the cure for vampirism. Since we know Silas had some witch create it for him, we're going to try and find the spell so Bonnie can perform it."

Silence followed. He looked at everyone in the room. Stefan looked nervous while Elena looked hopeful. Caroline looked shocked. And Matt just looked confused.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Caroline finally asked.

"We had to make sure there was a real chance we could find it," Bonnie answered. "We didn't want to tell you guys if it was impossible."

Caroline looked thoughtful. "So you found something?"

"No," Bonnie said miserably. "But we figured it was time we told you what was going on. It's not fair to keep secrets from you guys, especially when you might want it too."

Matt spoke up. "How long have you been looking for it? Who else knows?"

"Just the people in this room," Damon replied. "And we want to keep it that way. If any other people found out we could recreate the cure, who knows who'll want to join in. As for how long we've been looking…" He pondered that thought.

"Since Stefan and Elena got engaged," Bonnie finished.

"Wow," Caroline said. "Well, this some crusade. And personally, I have no interest in the cure anymore. But… I love you guys. And if you want my help, you've got it."

"Mine too," Elena said. "I know it might take a while, but I'm in. Besides, the cure might still be in my bloodstream, right? Maybe you guys can test it, see if it tastes any different. Finding out even a small thing about it could help the search."

Stefan looked worried. "We don't need to take your blood if you're uncomfortable with it."

Elena took his hand and squeezed it. "Absolutely not. It's the least I can do to help."

"Maybe you can compare it with mine," Matt offered, and everybody looked at him.

"You're going to help us?" Bonnie asked with a smile on her face. Matt stood up and came over to hug her.

"You're one of my best friends. Of course I'm going to help you. With all of us working on this, there's no chance in hell we won't find it."

Caroline grinned. "Looks like the gang are back together. It's been a while since we've had to really deal with this stuff."

Damon felt Bonnie stiffen and he squeezed her hand. She was still having the nightmares, and neither of them knew why. Maybe they would find some answers on their search for the cure. With everybody on board, finding it might become a real possibility after all.

* * *

**Sooooo everybody is in on the search now. I'm pretty happy that I included the whole gang. I might even throw in a few cameos later on ;)**

**Let me know what you think, and again i'm really sorry for the slow updates. Love you guys x**


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